It has been found that optical fibers that allow for propagation of light radially outwards along the length of the fiber, thereby illuminating the fiber, are particularly useful for a number of applications, such as special lighting, photochemistry, and for use in electronics and display devices. However, there are a number of issues with the current design of light diffusing fibers (“LDF”). One of the issues with the current design is that the angular distribution of different light colors from the fiber may vary depending on the viewing angle, especially for high lm/W cases, such as white LED, when blue light from the light source is mixed with a down converting phosphor. Another issue with light diffusing fibers is the difficulty with using fibers in the ultraviolet wavelength region, where the core of the fiber is transparent, but the coating (a necessary requirement for glass-based fibers) has strong absorptions. The trapping of UV light in the coating means that light extraction from light diffusing fibers is inefficient and moreover, the coating could degrade due to higher UV light exposure. Accordingly, there is a need for alternative light diffusing fiber designs that cure these deficiencies.